A little over a decade ago, self-checkout technology became widespread in Europe.
Since then, the cashierless retail experience has gained traction in the region as self-service options increasingly expand into other retail sectors. The associated payment technologies of pay-at-the-pump fuel and touchscreen fast food ordering kiosks are now a common sight across the continent, fueled by reduced staff and shorter queues.
To go a step further and improve the self-checkout experience, several companies have developed cutting-edge solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that hint at what the future of in-store retail will look like after self-checkout. payment kiosks.
Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology has led the charge in that regard, with the firm rolling out cashierless technology in Amazon Fresh stores in the US and UK.
See also: Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ Cashierless Tech Goes Big With New Grocery Store
Amazon Smart Grocery stores use a network of sensors and artificial intelligence throughout the store to accurately track what people add and remove items from their baskets in real time. When shoppers are ready to leave, their connected accounts are loaded automatically, rather than having to physically pay with a teller or use a self-service kiosk.
Smart Checkout in Europe’s largest supermarket chain
Europe’s largest grocery retailer Carrefour has also ventured into the AI-assisted shopping game.
The French multinational has launched its own smart checkout system that uses a similar system of cameras and scanners to monitor what shoppers have picked up from shelves. The first Carrefour βFlash 10/10β concept store opened in Paris last year after the technology was trialled at a Carrefour City+ in the Mall of the Emirates.
Read more: Carrefour’s Digital-First Expansion Brings Checkoutless Technology to French Shoppers
The difference between Carrefour’s Flash 10/10 and other AI-powered payment solutions is that there are no barriers to store entry, and customers do not need to create an account or pre-set an account with a connected card or bank account to can buy.
Entering shoppers are tracked anonymously as a virtual avatar, making it easy for anyone to shop at a Flash 10/10 store without a Carrefour account.
Instead of doing away with checkout kiosks altogether like Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology does, Carrefour has retained self-checkout terminals with traditional payment options, albeit in a more streamlined format.
Instead of customers having to scan each item individually, the kiosk already knows what they’ve picked up, letting the customer simply pay with their card, mobile wallet or cash before leaving.
Related: German supermarket chain Rewe opens autonomous store in Berlin
In June, it was announced that Rewe, Germany’s second-largest food retail chain, and Israel-based computer vision company Trigo had launched a second hybrid stand-alone grocery store with a checkoutless experience in Berlin, a year after the release of the first. one in the center of Cologne.
Also, earlier this year, Polish convenience giant Ε»abka Group announced that it had completed the opening of a chain of 25 autonomous stores using AI-powered contactless computer vision technology.
Other European supermarket chains like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi are testing some version of AI-based frictionless shopping technology, a strong indication that autonomous, contactless and frictionless commerce is ushering in the future of retail for European buyers.
Putting a mobile spin on machine vision
Part of the reason it took so long for self-checkout kiosks to reach the mass market is the significant costs involved in purchasing the digital hardware needed to use this technology.
But German startup Nomitri has a much cheaper intermediate step between the current European standard and the future of a fully automated shopping and payment experience.
Seeking to revolutionize the retail POS market, the Berlin-based firm provides brick-and-mortar retailers with a low-cost, asset-light payment solution that shoppers can download to their mobile phones, without the need to install multiple cameras or sensors. in shops or supermarkets.
See also: Low-cost self-checkout system aims to disrupt point-of-sale retail market
“We understand that retailers don’t have the money to invest in all of this infrastructure up front, and they also don’t have the time and sophistication in terms of IT departments to set all of this up,” said company co-founder and CEO Trinh Le -Fiedler, told PYMNTS in an interview.
Read more: Biometric payment on the horizon for UK buyers
Like the high-tech smart store model, Nomitri uses machine vision to automatically detect items without the need to scan a barcode.
However, because the startup packages its AI technology in a mobile-friendly software solution, all retailers need to do is place smartphone mounts in their shopping carts so customers can easily scan the items. articles with their mobile devices.
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